Boat propelling mechanism



June 9 M. w. THOMPSON BOAT PROPELLING MECHANI SM Filed Oct. 5, 1932 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented June 20, 1933 PATET MARTIN W. THOMPSON, OF MUNSTER, INDIANA BOAT PBOPELLING MECHANISM Application filed October 5, 1932. Serial No. 636,383.

This invention relates to improvements in boat propelling mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide a boat propelling mechanism which can be attached readily to the gunwales or sides of a row boat, which will enable the user to face forwardly in the boat and operate the mechanism by his feet, thereby leaving his hands free for manipulating his fish pole or for 1 other purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boat propelling mechanism comprising two similar portions which may be operated independently whereby the boat can be 1 guided from side to side, as well as propelled forwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide adjustable clamping means for the mechanism whereby the latter can be operatively secured to the sides of boats which vary in angularity, thus enabling the improved apparatus to be attached to any conventional row boat.

A further object of the invention is to provide propelling means comprising hinged paddle members which are positloned 1n the water on opposite sides of the boat, and are moved through an are within the water rearwardly of the boat by means of foot operated pedals, springs being provlded for returning the paddles forwardly upon the re lease of the pedals.

A further object relates to the provision of paddles each in the form of a depending arm having hinged thereto'a pair of plates which upon the propelling stroke of the arm open outwardly int-o substantially co-planar relation, while upon the stroke in the opposite direction the plates move into acute angular relation wherein they encounter little resistance in their movement through the water.

Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional View through a boat, showing a boat propelling mechanism in position thereon which embodies the present invention, the mechanism being shown partially in section.

Figure 2 is a broken top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1,

Figure 8 is an enlarged broken elevation of a paddle and supporting arm,

Figure 4c is a vertical sectional View taken on line 44 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 55 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 illustrates a modification of the gear mechanism by means of which the propellling paddles are operated by the pedals, an

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Figure 6.

In the drawing, a row boat is indicated generally by the numeral 10, and comprises gunwales or side walls 11 and 12, to which the n two portions of my two sections of the improved boat propelling mechanism are attached.

Since the two sections are identical insofar as their operative parts are concerned, N, one section will be described and the same reference characters primed will be applied to corresponding elements of the other section.

The mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive comprises a U-shaped bracket 13, having a. pair of upstanding arms 14 in which is journaled a shaft 15. The shaft may be provided with collars 16 to prevent longitudinal movement of the same with refs erence to the arms 1 1 A gear or pinion 17 1s secured to the shaft 15, and meshes with another gear 18 secured to the shaft 19, which 1s also journaled in the arms 14. It will be seen that rotation or oscillation of the shaft 15 will effect similar movement of the shaft 19. The shaft 15 extends inwardly of the boat and preferably is received within the hollow end or socket portion of the shaft 15' as shown at 20 in Figure 1. This arrangement enables the user to align the two shafts axially and supports the same at their inner ends.

A slidable collar 21 may be provided on the shaft 15, if desired, and can be moved against the inner end of the shaft 15' and 100 secured in such a position by a set screw 22. Secured to the shaft 15 by any suitable means is a pedal or foot operable member 23. Upon pressing the pedal forwardly of the boat by the foot, the shaft 15 and gear 17 will effect the operation of gear 18 and shaft 19 in the opposite direction for moving the paddle propeller rearwardly of the boat thus moving the boat forwardly in the water.

The outer end of the shaft 19 projects laterally of the boat and has a retaining member 24 secured thereto by any approved means. This retaining member preferably is provided with a slot in its outer end providing two lugs 25, see Figure 2, between which the arm 26 is secured by means of a screw 27. The arm 26 may haw e a series of openings 28 therein to enable the arm to be secured in different positions of elevation to the member 24.

To the lower end of the arm 26 a pair of plates 29 are secured by hinges 30. These hinges may comprise strap portions secured along the upper and lower edges of the plates 29, and shorter portions 31 riveted or otherwise secured to the sides of the arm 26. The hinges are also preferably provided with lugs 32 which contact with the plates 31 to limit the opening movement of the members 29 during the delivery of the power stroke.

' As shown in Figure 5, the plates 29 upon the power or rearward stroke, may open to sub stantially co-planar position, as indicated by full lines, in which position the lugs 33 contact with the hinged portions 31 and limit movementof the plates beyond said co-planar relation.

Upon the opposite movement of the propellers, the plates 29 will move to acute angular relation as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 5.

To prevent the plates from moving into exact parallelism a stud or lug 34 extending from the arm 26 is provided. This member 34 thus holds the plates slightly apart at their outer edges which preferably are curved outwardly slightly as indicated at 35 to insure that the plates will move quickly to the ex tended or co-planar relation upon the beginning of the power stroke, thus more eflfectivcly propelling the boat through the water.

The return movement of the pedals 23 is effected preferably by means of springs 36 which are attached to the pedals and to any suitable portion of the boat, such as to the seat 37.

The bracket 13 may be secured to the sides of the boat by means of a suitable clamping mechanism which, in the embodiment shown,

comprises an inverted U-shaped member 38,

which is secured to the lower side of bracket 13 by means of a bolt 39, preferably having a T-head 40 at one end and a nut 41' at the other end, the bolt 39 passing through a slotted opening 42 in the member 38 whereby the latter can be adjusted angularly with respect to the bracket 13 to accommodate the apparatus to the sides of boats disposed at different angles.

In Figures 6 and 7 a modified form of gear mechanism is shown. This mechanism may comprise a bracket 45 adapted to be secured to the side of a boat by a clamp 46 which may correspond to that above described, and car ries an operable shaft 47 to the outer end of which an arm 48 is adjustably secured. Propeller plates 49 are secured to the lower end of the arm 48, as described above.

The shaft 47 has a short arm 50 secured thereto carrying adjacent its outer end a stud 51 which projects into a slot 52 formed in the similar arm 53. The arm 53 is secured to a shaft 54 also carried by the bracket 45, and has its inner end projecting inwardly of the boat, and is operable by means of a pedal 55. Forward movement of the pedal 55 through the gearmechanism shown causes the arm 48 to swing rearwardly of the boat, thus delivering the power stroke.

Upon releasing the pedal a spring 56 moves the pedal rearwardly of the boat and the propeller forwardly.

From the above description of the apparatus embodying the invention it will be seen that the user may sit in a boat facing the front and propel the boat through the Water by operating the pedals 23 and 23. Should he desire to guide the boat to the right or left, it is only necessary to operate one pedal or the other, since the telescopic connection of the shafts 15 and 19 permits such relative movement.

In the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 the rowing units are entirely separate.

In Figure 2 it will be noted that the gear 17 is larger than the gear 18. This arrangement causes the arm 26 to be moved through a greater are than the are through which the pedal 23 is moved. It will also be noted in Figure 3 that the forward edge of the arm 26 is sharpened as shown at 26a to decrease the resistance to the movement of the same through the water.

\Vhile I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention for the purpose of illustration, I do not wish to be restricted specifically thereto except as so limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Boat propelling mechanism comprising a pair of horizontal oscillatable shafts adapted to be positioned transversely of a boat with their outer ends extending beyond the sides of said boat, boat propelling paddles secured to said ends and depending into the water, a bracket for each shaft in which the same is journaled, a clamp carried by each bracket for detachably securing the same in horizontal position to a side of said boat, a second pair of axially aligned shafts,

ieo

one journaled in each of said brackets and extending inwardly of said boat into telescopic engagement with each other to provide mutual support against twisting movement and for accommodating the mechanism to boats of different widths, pedals for oscillating each of said second pair of shafts, and means for transmitting motion from each of said last mentioned shafts to the adjacent shaft of said first mentioned pair for operating said paddles.

2. Boat propelling mechanism comprising two similar detachable sections each comprising a bracket provided with two shafts, a shaft of one section extending inwardly of the boat into telescopic relation with the corresponding shaft of the other section to provide mutual support for the inner ends of said sections and for accommodating said mechanism to boats of different widths, an adjustable clamp for each bracket for securing the same to the gunwale of a boat with said shafts in horizontal alignment, a pedal on each of said inwardly extending shafts for oscillating the same, gears on said shafts for imparting oscillating movement to the other shafts, and paddles depending into the water from the outer ends of said last mentioned shafts.

3. Boat propelling mechanism adapted to extend transversely across a boat comprising a pair of similar sections provided with adjustable clamps for detachably securing the same to the gunwale thereof, each section being provided with inwardly extending shafts having means whereby one movably engages the other for mutually supporting said sections against tilting or swinging movement with respect to said clamps and for accommodating said sections to boats of difierent widths, pedals for oscillating each of said shafts, paddle shafts, and gears for transmitting motion to said paddle shafts from said first mentioned shafts.

4. Boat propelling mechanism comprising a pair of independently foot operable sections each comprising a U-shaped bracket, a pair of shafts journalled therein, one of said shafts having an end extending from said bracket outwardly of the boat, a paddle secured to said end, said other shaft having an end extending inwardly of the boat, a pedal secured to said shaft for oscillating the same, gears on said shafts for transmitting the power stroke of said pedal to said paddle, and an adjustable clamp on said bracket for detachably securing said brackets in horizontal position on the gunwales of boats of different angularity.

MARTIN WV. THOMPSON. 

